Harrison Festival of the Arts

The Harrison Festival Society is excited to announce its lineup for this July’s Festival of the Arts in Harrison Hot Springs, running from July 7-16.

The event will kick off on Friday July 7 with a screening of the 2021 documentary “Summer of Soul”, which celebrates the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. This film will set up a week of programming that is chock full of music with roots in soul, blues, and funk, alongside genres ranging from Celtic music to Mexican, Cuban, and Italian sounds.

The festival will once again feature its traditional format of ungated beach stage shows, ticketed Memorial Hall evening shows, a Children’s Day (July 12), Literary Café, Evening of Theatre, Ranger Station Gallery visual arts exhibit, and waterfront Artisan Market.

Music in the hall will feature Congolese-Canadian powerhouse Kizaba (July 8), Irish-American multi- instrumentalist the Seamus Egan Project (July 9), soul-stirring songstress Ceiligh Cardinal (July 12) and folk legend James Keelaghan (July 13). The second weekend in the hall will be dance heavy with the Mexican-American sounds of Las Cafeteras (July 14), the high energy, futuristic Italian folk of Kalascima featuring Andrea Ramolo (July 15), and the power funk of Toronto’s Soul Motivators (July 16).

Some artists to watch out for from among the many on the beach include Metis fiddler Alex Kusturok (July 8), Mongolian singing star Namgar (July 12), Haitian-Canadian Wesli and his band (July 15), the Newfoundland songs of Rum Ragged (July 14 and 15), and young, Juno-winning blues singer Angelique Frances (July 13 and 14).

The non-musical offerings include an evening of spoken word on Monday July 10 with a collaboration with Vancouver Poetry House, Sylvie Roussel-Janssens art exhibit Mend, outdoor installations from Aly Scwhann, and a hilarious evening of song and comedy on Tuesday July 11 with The Myrtle Sisters.

Children’s Day will include a return of Wil’s Jams to Harrison, as well as performances from middle eastern ensemble Al Qawha and the Vancouver Puppet Theatre, alongside an array of crafts and other arts activities.

Known worldwide for its professional artistry and small town hospitality, the Harrison Festival Society has long been a beacon for growing acceptance of diversity and purpose fueled programming. Each July for more than 45 years the Society has produced the internationally acclaimed Harrison Festival of the Arts, a ten day, cross disciplinary, multicultural art event set amidst the small town atmosphere and breathtaking scenery of Harrison Hot Springs, BC. A non-profit, grass-roots organization, the Society also presents an annual Season of the Performing Arts from September to May and works closely with a number of Fraser Valley partners in continuing to bring high quality, inclusive and accessible performing arts into the area.

www.harrisonfestival.com │ 604.796.3664 │ info@harrisonfestival.com